Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Claude Debussy

Premiere performance 22-23 December 1894 Societe Nationale de Musique Concerts Gustave Doret, conductor Ballet Russe Performance 1912

Poets-Writers Stéphane Mallarmé Arthur Rimbaud Paul Verlaine Pierre Louÿs René Ghid André Gide Paul Valéry

Symbolism

Composer Painters

Claude Debussy Edouard Manet Paul Gauguin

Stéphane Mallarmé

Symbolism

Important places and publications -- 87 Rue de Rome --Librairie de l’art Independante --Café Le Soleil d’Or

La Revue Blanche La Revue Independante Entretiens politiques et litteraires

Characteristics of Symbolism -- outgrowth of Wagnerism and the Decadent movement -- began around 1870 -- somewhat mystical, ‘other worldly’ -- the sense of a work is more important than its meaning -- sound is more important than definition in text -- Music was seen as the most perfect of all arts

Nothing is dearer to the poet than the gray song

In which the vague and the precise meet.

For we want nuance, No colork, only nuance!

Dream to dream and flute to horn… Music again and always!

Let your verse be the soaring thing Felt by one who flees from a soul on its way Toward other skies to other loves.

-- Structure is extremely important

Debussy’s ‘Symbolism’

“Drowning the tonal center” “Music should begin where the word leaves off.

Music is made for the inexpressible.

It ought to emerge from shadow; be discrete.” “Music is a mysterious mathematical process whose elements are a part of Infinity.” Debussy’s challenge: to create music which ‘emerged from shadow’ but which was mathematically precise.

How does Debussy accomplish this in

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Design by Leon Bakst

Ballets Russes

Choreography and premiere by Nijinsky

The Ballet

Fibonacci Series

What/who in the world is (a) Fibonacci?

| | a

The Formula

| b ab = bc bc ac 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55… ratio: .618 c

The Greeks

Users…

Artists (Pietro Vannucci, called Perugino –

and the saints John the Baptist and Sebastian Madonna enthroned with Child – 1493, church of San Domenico at Fiesole, near Florence

) Musicians: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok,

Debussy

, etc., etc.

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Section I mm. 1-30 Section 2 mm.31-78 Section 3 mm.79-99 Section 4 mm.100-110 89 beats 149 beats 84 beats 37 beats 359 beats G.S. beat 55

m.21

G.S. beat 92

m.60

G.S. beat 52

m.92

G.S. beat 23

m.106

222 m. 73

A Closer Look…

 Analysis of form/motives, ms. 1-30  Developmental and Impressionistic techniques used Did Debussy succeed in creating a highly structured, tightly knit piece ‘out of the shadows’?

A 1 – 5 x y z fragmentation (silence) 6 Measures 1-30 -- Form A 1 7 – 10 y z z interval contraction fragmentation A 2 11 – 16 x y z fragmentation augmentation A 4 21 – 25 x y z r diminution sequence inversion fragmentation A 3 17 – 20 x y z fragmentation interval expansion A 5 26 – 30 x y z r sequence extension elision fragmentation A Mosaic of a Monet

Motives used throughout sections one, three and four of the ‘Faun’